[Timboli]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Unless you're happy with mere possession, the only reason to buy a book is to read it.

I buy every book with the hope of reading it.

If one is buying more books than one can read (i.e. one's TBR pile keeps growing) then you're not being selective enough.

Alas, that task has grown way too hard. One has moods, one has favorites, one has interests. Where to stop?

It's better, IMO, to be selective at the purchase point than when choosing what to read next.

I have got much better at that over the years, and no longer visit the specials tables either in the real world or online.

Of course, some of us are better than others at this. I have only just managed to keep my books removed slightly more than my books added this year.

One of the biggest problems for me, is that I got a serious back injury at work years ago, and was laid up for 16 months, not able to do much, so all I did was read and listen to music, and got heartily sick of both eventually. It was huge impact on my life, for one who was such a bookworm and music lover. When I got well enough I turned to other interests, and have never felt the same about reading or music as I did before the injury.

I used to read one or two books a week. Now I am lucky if I read one in a month or two. Occasionally I will get stuck into a good series and read several over a few weeks, but generally I find it hard to get in the mood these days. Same goes for music and movies, and I haven't touched my guitar for a few years, which means I also stopped writing songs.

My addiction of choice these days, is programming. It helps me escape the real world for a while, not unlike my books used to do and still do sometimes.

I still buy books though, as a part of me still yearns for their simple pleasures.

Welcome to the thread. Recognising your addiction is the first step to controlling it.

Thanks.